Special Messages

" Collinsville Pastor to Give House Prayer

I recently invited my hometown church pastor, Rev. Ronald Jansen of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, to give the opening prayer in the U.S. House of Representatives. Reverend Jansen has agreed, and will give the prayer shortly after 10:00 a.m. (central time) on July 18. In addition, I will lead the House in the Pledge of Allegiance that morning.
You can watch both events on C-SPAN.

D.C. and District Talk

" Accounting Reforms Pass House Subcommittee

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a legislative markup of the "Financial Accounting Standards Board Act", or H.R. 5058, on Wednesday. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FSAB) is the body which establishes new and stronger standards against corporate accounting trickery of the type we saw with Enron and WorldCom. The Board was established precisely to improve accounting regulations for companies and investors, though until now it has sometimes been slow in issuing new reforms.
H.R. 5058 would expedite the process of issuing reforms, and strengthen the FSAB's standards by giving them federal recognition. Furthermore, it would instruct the FSAB to complete work on two projects that would better define the proper way to report financial assets and liabilities.
H.R. 5058 is another step towards the goal of holding companies responsible to workers and shareholders, and it passed the subcommittee with my support. For more information, please read my press release at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/praccountreforms.htm>. You can also read and post opinions to my Corporate Responsibility Issue Forum at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/issueforum.htm>.

Constituent Corner

" Mission Possible Receives Grant, Shimkus Announces

Recently I was pleased to announce that the Jefferson County Mission Possible coalition is to receive $100,000 in federal funding. This funding is through the Department of Justice.
The Mission Possible coalition is a program that helps children and strengthens families, and I am pleased that they will receive these funds. Among other things, the money may go to after-school programming for youth with positive, adult leadership; family support networks; and prevention programming.

" Southern Illinois Towns Online

The Internet becomes a more and more important medium of communication every day. It is a fast and efficient way to distribute information on everything from politics to tourism.
Most of the towns in Southern Illinois have recognized the importance of the Internet, and have started their own home pages. These pages represent a wonderful way to find out information about city schools, government, businesses, and services, and I wanted to take this opportunity to recommend them to you.
I maintain a list of 20th District city websites on my home page at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/citiestowns.htm>. Drop by and take a look!

" Traveling Help Desk comes to Maryville and Marine

On Wednesday, July 17, Dora Rohan of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of Maryville and Marine with problems related to federal government agencies. In Maryville, she will be in the Maryville Village Hall on 2520 North Center street from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. In Marine, she will be in the Marine Village Hall on 320 North Vernon Street from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit my web page at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm>. I hope you stop by!

Legislative Week in Review

" Legislation to Arm Pilots Passes House

This week the House passed H.R. 4635, the "Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act." This legislation provides for a two-year test of having guns in the cockpits of airplanes. These firearms would be in the hands of specially trained and licensed pilots, with preference given to those who are former military or law enforcement officials.
The ability to carry firearms will give these pilots one final line of defense against a terrorist takeover. This, combined with other safety measures such as strengthened cockpit doors and increased airport security, will go a long way to preventing an attack such as September 11 from ever happening again. This legislation passed the House with my full support, and I hope that it is taken up quickly by the Senate.

" Shimkus Participates in Department of Homeland Security Hearings

This week I participated in hearings of the Energy and Commerce Committee on the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security. These hearings concentrated on developing recommendations on how certain aspects of the Department should be handled, particularly in the cases of information analysis and chemical, biological, and nuclear countermeasures.
These recommendations will be forwarded to the Select Committee on Homeland Security. That committee will end up crafting the final bill that will create the Department of Homeland Security. I am glad to have had the opportunity to participate in these hearings, and I will keep you updated on the progress of creating this important new Department. Speaker Hastert has set an aggressive schedule; it is hoped that it will be finished by September 11, 2002, the one-year anniversary of the attacks.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

" Next week, the House will be in session Monday through Friday. Some of the legislation that will be considered includes:
o Interior Appropriations for FY 2003 - This legislation will allocate federal funds to our national parks, as well as federal lands.
o Agriculture Appropriations for FY 2003 - This legislation will allocate funds for our nation's agriculture policy, including money for farmers and ag research.
o Legislative Branch Appropriations for FY 2003 - This legislation will allocate funds for the operating expenses of the government on Capitol Hill.

" Want to know more? Keep an eye on the Committee Central web page at <http://www.gop.gov/committeecentral/docs/pubs/WeeklyFloorBriefing>. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

" Government Information Online

The recently unveiled FirstGov website is a compilation of all the government information that you will ever need. This wonderful site ropes together over 35 million federal, state, and local web pages to provide citizens with easy access to an array of services and information.
It is all part of President Bush's plan to improve its online services and better coordinate how the money is spent and allocated towards technology. Almost any information can now be accessed within three clicks of the mouse. Find out how to pay your taxes online, volunteer in your area, change your address, apply for jobs, renew your driver's license, and many other things, all at the touch of a button.
So stop by <www.firstgov.gov> and see how the government can better serve you.

" Free E-mail Updates

You can get free e-mail updates on the issues you care about sent directly to you! Sign up for direct e-mail updates at <http://www.gop.gov/secure/my-topics.asp>.

Thank you for the interest in my newsletter! Remember to tell your friends about it as well--they can sign up on my web page at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus>.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Shimkus

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